Knowing what to expect from management will help us all stay focused on our real goal - winning a voice on the job and a say in our future.

Now that we're joining togetherHere's what we can expect to hear from management

When workers form a union, we gain a voice in decisions that affect our jobs, our future and our families. Unfortunately, management doesn't always like the idea of sharing the decision-making with employees. So managements's first reaction may be to make a lot of misleading statements to try to convince us not to join together.

This is what managers often say when workers form a union:

Management: "A union is a third party that will come between us."

Fact: Our union is a democratic, member-run organization. When we form a union here, we'll work together to govern our own organization. And every contract will be reviewed and approved by a majority of the employees here where we work.

Management: "The union will make you go on strike."

Fact: Strikes are a rare last resort in contract negotiations - more than 95 percent of Teamster contracts are negotiated without a strike. And no strike will happen unless a majority of workers vote to call one.

Management: "If you form a union, you risk losing the benefits and pay raises you already have."

Fact: It's illegal for a company to freeze or cut previously scheduled raises to discourage us from forming a union. Once we're organized, we'll lock in our current wages and benefits and then negotiate improvements from there. All of us will get an opportunity to review our proposed contract before we vote to approve it. Obviously, we're not going to approve a contract that cuts our wages or benefits.

Management: "The union just wants your dues money."

Fact: As a newly organized Teamster union, we won't pay dues until we've negotiated and voted to approve our first contract - and decided for ourselves whether it's worth it. Every serious organization - churches, clubs, sporting leagues, and similar organizations - has to have some kind of funding, and unions are no different. Dues pay for the cost of having an organization - contract negotiations, grievances and arbitrations, training for members, legal fees and other things so no one has to go it alone.

Management: "With a union, you won't be allowed to talk to your supervisor - you'll have to go through the union."

Fact: Teamsters have found that having a union strengthens communication between employees and supervisors. Direct relationships with immediate supervisors continue, and we can negotiate to retain any good policies and procedures already in place. The advantage of joining together in a union is that we're able to make our voices heard at the upper levels of management, where key decisions are made.

Management: "The improvements we're willing to make right now show that you don't need a union."

Fact: It's great that management is responding to our concerns. It shows that when we join together, our voices are heard. By forming a union, we can make sure this progress is not just short-term - we'll build an ongoing dialogue with management on all our issues. We'll also have peace of mind with a union - since the improvements we agree on will be guaranteed in our union contract.

Keep in mind that it's normal for some tension to arise when workers start to build a union. But the tension is temporary. After we vote to form a union, management will adjust to our having a voice on the job.

No matter what management says, let's stay focused on our shared goals - to make this the best possible place to work.

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